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MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph’s bats broke out right from the get-go on Wednesday afternoon as the Hawk baseball team pounded Monmouth, 14-4, in a rain-shortened game at Smithson Field. Brian O'Keefe led the way with two home runs and four runs batted in, while Taylor Boyd added his first career home run.

Monmouth (3-10) threatened in the first inning, loading the bases with two outs on two singles and walk, but Daniel Thorpe escaped the jam with a strikeout.

Saint Joseph’s (8-6) then batted around in the first, sending 13 batters to the plate and jumping out to a 9-0 lead. With one out, O’Keefe singled to center and scored on a double by Collin Forgey. Stefan Kancylarz followed with a walk before Tommy Cunningham singled to load the bases.

Mike Muha and Kevin Kratochwill followed with singles of their own, combining to score three runs to push the margin to four. Boyd followed with the first home run of his collegiate career to give the Hawks a 7-0 lead.

Two batters later, Chris Hueth singled to bring O’Keefe back to the dish, where he launched his second longball of the season over the fence in left to extend the lead to nine.

MU scored four times in the third on two hits, an error, and a series of wild pitches that cut the SJU advantage to 9-4.

Saint Joseph’s, however, got two of those back right away as Hueth singled and O’Keefe hit his second home run of the day to make it 11-4.

SJU closed out the scoring in the fourth as Cunningham, Muha, and Kratochwill all drew walks to start the frame. After a pair of strikeouts, Hueth ripped a double down the left field line to clear the bases and set the final margin.

With the home nine at the plate in the bottom of the fifth, the game was called due to the rain that had been falling throughout the afternoon.

Hueth, Forgey, and O’Keefe each enjoyed three-hit games, while Hueth and Boyd tallied three RBI apiece.

Saint Joseph’s will now hit the road for the start of conference play, opening its Atlantic 10 schedule at George Washington on Friday.